Iran has instructed its Houthi proxies to be ready to close the Red Sea oil shipping route if the United States strikes Iranian power plants, three sources told Reuters. The directive, reported by Israeli journalist Tal Sagi (N12), signals a potential escalation of the regional energy conflict.
A new report at 16:13 Jerusalem, citing three sources, confirms that Iran has directed its Houthi proxies to be ready to close the Red Sea oil shipping route if the United States strikes Iranian power plants. The report, from Israeli journalist Tal Sagi (N12), adds the detail that the Houthis have been told to 'be ready' — a slight but significant shift from earlier accounts that described a directive to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The latest report corroborates a series of The Zioneer dispatches published at 14:53 Jerusalem. The first, based on a single Reuters source, said Iran had ordered the Houthis to block the strait. Within minutes, a second dispatch added corroboration from journalist Tomer Almagor (N12), and a third specified that the directive had been discussed at the highest levels of Iranian and Houthi leadership. A fourth report, also attributed to a Reuters source, said the Houthis had completed preparations to attack vessels with missiles and drones, and that IRGC representatives in Yemen would decide the timing. Earlier today at 09:32 Jerusalem, the Iran-aligned 'Seal of the Prophets' command threatened to strike all regional infrastructure if the US hits Iran. The Zioneer has previously assessed that Iran is preparing to use the Houthis to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (Jul 15, 18:33 Jerusalem), and has reported on broader Iranian threats to energy infrastructure, including warnings to mediators that it would 'plunge the whole region into darkness' (Jun 28, 20:07 Jerusalem). The confirmed readiness of the Houthis to close the critical Red Sea chokepoint represents a serious escalation in the regional energy conflict. The US has not yet publicly responded to the report, and the timing of any potential closure remains unclear — the IRGC representatives in Yemen are said to hold the decision.
8 developments
- DevelopingIran preparing to use Houthis to block Bab el-Mandeb, The Zioneer assesses
- DevelopingIsrael strikes Iran, reports of Houthi threat to close Bab el-Mandeb
- DevelopingHouthi official threatens to close Bab el-Mandeb, says Iran will shut Hormuz if US pushes Saudi war
- DevelopingHouthis announce readiness to strike vessels near Bab el-Mandeb, Reuters reports
Source and signal
- Internal intake